Advance voting is an important strategy to enable voter participation. Over the last two election cycles, the City has worked to enhance the availability of opportunities to vote in advance of an election through incremental increases in advance polls.

Number of advance polls in 2008 and 2011

In 2008, there were five advance polls:

City Hall

Dunbar Community Centre

Sunset Community Centre

West End Community Centre

Trout Lake Community Centre

These polls were open for four days and 12 hours per day for a total voting availability of 240 hours.

In 2011 there were five advance polls:

City Hall

Dunbar Community Centre

Sunset Community Centre

West End Community Centre

Renfrew Community Centre

The City Hall poll was open for eight days and the remaining four polls were open on four days. The total voting availability was 272 hours.

When and where you can vote in advance for the 2014 municipal election

For the 2014 municipal election, the City is providing eight locations, for eight days of advance voting for 12 hours per day (8:00am to 8:00pm) for a total of 768 hours of advance voting prior to the election. This represents a 280 per cent increase over 2011 and a 320 per cent increase over 2008.

You can vote in advance between the hours of 8:00am and 8:00pm on November 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 12 at any one of these locations:

West End Community Centre - 870 Denman St.

Roundhouse Community Centre - 181 Roundhouse Mews

Thunderbird Community Centre - 2311 Cassiar St.

Sunset Community Centre - 6810 Main St.

Killarney Community Centre - 6260 Killarney St.

Kitsilano Community Centre - 2690 Larch St.

Kerrisdale Community Centre - 5851 West Blvd

City Hall – 453 West 12th Ave.

How the advance poll locations were chosen

Significant time was spent approximately one year ago securing the eight advance voting sites for this year’s election.

Staff have to assure sites:

Have the physical space required

Would be available for 14 hours per day over the significant time period (eight days in November)

Be fully accessible to wheelchairs

Are on or close to transit

Offer sufficient parking

Be digitally equipped to provide secure computer connections

The sites are secured well in advance to allow the host location’s normal programming activities to be planned around reduced space during the advance voting period in November. Planning for election day polls is less constrained because election day falls on a Saturday, thus allowing many more sites (close to 120) to be made available.

You have more flexibility as to where you can vote this election

Data from past advance polls show that voters move about the city during advance voting and take advantage of the “vote anywhere” opportunity, voting far from their local neighbourhood in many cases. Increasing the total available hours of advance voting in 2011 resulted in a 25 per cent increase in advance voters over 2008.

On election day, there is extensive geographic coverage of the whole City with 120 voting places to provide maximum convenience for you, specifically targeting:

Community centres

Shopping areas

Schools

Cultural centres

Churches

A key enhancement this year in terms of flexibility is the electronic voters list which will allow you to vote at any of these 120 voting places, regardless of where you live.

Other advance voting option

As an additional measure to encourage participation, if you are are unable to attend a voting location or you will be out of the community during the voting period, you can vote by mail.